The Board of Control for Cricket in India on Monday expressed their grief at the passing of former India hockey player and the board’s anti-doping consultant Vece Paes, who passed away on August 14 after suffering from an advanced stage of Parkinson’s disease. Paes, who donned several hats in his long association with Indian sports, was a midfielder in the Indian hockey team. Paes played multiple sports such as football, cricket and rugby and served as the president of the Indian Rugby Football Union from 1996 to 2002. Paes was associated with the BCCI from October 2010 to March 2018 as an Anti-Doping and Age Verification Consultant. Paes introduced structured educational programmes for anti-doping within the BCCI, enhancing awareness and compliance among cricketers and support staff. Paes’ expertise and commitment were instrumental in strengthening BCCI’s anti-doping education and testing framework, as well as in implementing age-verification and athlete welfare initiatives. Paes’ professional integrity and passion for clean sport left an indelible mark on Indian cricket’s support systems, a statement from BCCI said. “Dr. Paes’s association with the BCCI reflected his belief in safeguarding the spirit of sport. His meticulous work in anti-doping, including the introduction of educational initiatives and his efforts in age verification, has benefitted generations of cricketers,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said in the release. On Sunday, August 17, in a poignant moment, young players lined up on either side of the road and raised their sticks to pay their last respects while Paes’ hearse made its way into the Maidan tent. Vece’s son, Leander Paes, was inconsolable, even as former India captain Sourav Ganguly joined some officials in comforting Leander by placing his arms around him and offering words of support in his hour of grief. Among those present were former Indian cricketer Arun Lal and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien, who joined the bereaved family, friends and members of the sporting fraternity in bidding farewell to Vece, who was part of the Indian team that won the bronze medal at the 1972 Olympics.